Delhi logs maximum temperature of 41.1°C, hottest this year

Pedestrians cover their heads and faces to shield themselves from the heat near the Red Fort, on Sunday.

Delhi logged its hottest day of the year on Sunday, clocking a maximum temperature of 41.1°C, which was two degrees above normal and a one degree rise from the day before, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Warmer days have been predicted in the short term, with the temperature likely to cross 42°C by Tuesday, it said.

Although a western disturbance was supposed to bring gusty winds and light rain to the city on Saturday, IMD officials blamed weak thunderclouds that formed only in parts of southwest Delhi and Haryana.

“On Saturday morning, a drizzle was recorded near Jafarpur, but was not recorded at any weather station. Since this western disturbance was fairly weak, we did not see sufficient cloudiness or rain, which meant mercury began to rise from Saturday. With clear skies prevailing, this will only rise further in the coming days,” Kuldeep Srivastava, an IMD scientist, said.

Delhi’s maximum temperature on Saturday was 40.3°C, while the previous highest was 40.5°C, recorded on April 26.

Recordings from the Safdarjung observatory are considered the benchmark for Delhi, but other observatories recorded higher temperatures on the day. The Sports Complex station (Akshardham) in east Delhi logged a maximum temperature of 44°C and the Pitampura station, a maximum of 43.4°C.

Srivastava said the maximum is likely to hover in the same range on Monday and possibly rise by another degree on Tuesday. “We will see clear skies for the next three to four days, meaning there will be no respite during the day. The maximum should cross 42°C by Tuesday at Safdarjung and should be even higher at other locations,” he said.

Despite heatwave-like conditions in other parts of the country, Delhi is yet to record a “heatwave” day so far this season. IMD classifies a “heatwave” day as one when the maximum temperature is over 40°C in the plains and is 4.5 degrees or more above the normal.

However, nights were cooler than usual as the minimum temperature on Sunday was 22.7°C, which was two degrees below normal and 0.5 degrees lower than the day before. It is likely to rise by Monday, touching 24°C and around 25°C by Tuesday, IMD said.

Delhi’s air remained ”poor”, recording a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 291 at 4pm on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. It was 281, also “poor”, on Saturday.

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